The Weaver of Narnia
by Kitera-Matar
Summary: Penelope moves into the old house and while she is exploring finds a box. When she goes to clean the dust and touches it instead, she finds herself in a whole new world, or rather, a world between worlds.
1. The Old House and New Surprises

The Weaver of Narnia

Chapter 1: The Old House and New Surprises

Disclaimer: Well you probably know the rigmarole (story), but I'll say it anyway. most of the places, people, or things in this story come from The Chronicles of Narnia. They are C.S. Lewis' and not mine.

Summary: Penelope moves into the old house and while she is exploring finds a box. When she goes to clean the dust and touches it instead, she finds herself in a whole new world, or rather, a world between worlds.

Background: This takes place after the Last Battle in the present day and age, in England at the old house of the Diggory's, or the professor's. Since all of them have gone, the house was sold and has been sold from family to family as time goes by. This is just the latest in a long line of owners. The last owner never used it and it has been sitting for 30 some years, waiting, for what no one knows. Perhaps it is for the one who can bring Narnia back?

Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.

UPDATED NOTE: Due to the movie and DEFINITE re-awakened interest in Narnia, I am going to try and finish this story up, we'll see if I actually do it... I'm currently also working on details for another story I want to write and have wanted to write for a LONG time about the Golden Age. So we'll see if I get that up and going even, much less written out. I will at least re-go over what I have posted and fix some mistakes I saw and fix the speaking parts.

THANKS NOTE: Thanks to Techy El Nerd for the house tip – my story is based heavily on the house... so I'm afraid I'm going to split from cannon on this matter – thanks for pointing that out though! And thanks to SilverFoam for the speaking tip – I wrote this so long ago and my writing style wasn't the best..

--------------

Penelope Weaver stood in the doorway and stared at the old house. She stood in a dusty and cob-web filled hallway. Several doorways and halls lead from it and a staircase lead down into it too. The floor was covered in layers of dust and the front door area was a puddle from the rain dripping off her and her parents who had come in before her. The old mansion was old, drafty, and definitely dirty.

"Well, come one! Move!" Her brother, Nathan, shoved his 16-year-old sister into the old, dusty house, but he too ended up standing dumbfounded in the doorway before turning and saying to Penelope, "Well Pen, glad I'm going to college in a week!" Pen just glared back at her older brother.

She stomped back outside into the rain to get her backpack form the car. She slung it over her shoulder ignoring how wet her clothes were getting. She liked the rain; normally it calmed her, but the rain couldn't pacify her now. She fumed about the change of location in her mind, 'How could they! Dad gets some old mansion in England and BOOM! We have to leave America to go to this country! It's not fair that Genny, Raph, Les, and now Nate get to go and not have to come here! They're all older and get to live some where else! I hate being the youngest!'

She stormed back inside the house and stared at the floor. Their wet feet left footprints in the layers of dust on the floor. Dust swirled up in the breeze the storm from outside blew in and Pen sneezed. Suddenly her mother came in from a side passage. She was beaming as she said more than asked, "Isn't this great!"

"Yeah, great." Pen mumbled, not wanting to hurt her mother's feelings.

"Here's you bag and pillow, I brought them in," her mother pointed to her mummy sleeping bag and glow-in-the-dark pillow. "Until we clean up some of these rooms, we'll be using these. It's been a long day so we're all just picking a room for today and using the sleeping bags."

Wordlessly, Pen picked up her stuff and headed up the stairs. From the looks in the dust her dad was already up there and her mom had gone up and down several times. She went up and headed down the hall to the left following some footprints in the dust. She passed an open room and looked in. Her dad was laying out his and her mom's sleeping bags on the dusty floor. He turned and grinned at her, "Good-night Penny, and don't forget to say your prayers!"

She nodded, and wishing her dad good-night, left. She was a Catholic Christian and had been raised as one. Her dad always said to her now, "Don't forget to say your prayers!" Her thoughts bouncing erratically she wandered aimlessly and passed a library, she made a mental note of where it was, she wanted to look at the books, she loved to read. She then realized she was lost.

She turned around and around, and suddenly just gave up. She opened a door on her right and walked in. "Wow, surprise! There's no dust in here at all!" her sarcastic voice echoed around the room. It was filled with dust and had a few spider webs. She didn't care, as long as the spiders weren't poisoness and going to bite her, which she doubted, she was fine.

She saw a wardrobe on one side of the room and opened it. A cloud of dust came out and she was temporarily coughing like crazy. When the dust settled she saw fur coats, moth-eaten and very holey, but still there. She pushed side four hangers to see if there were rows behind the coats, but only saw the back of the wardrobe between the worn coats. She then closed the doors and laid out her bag and pillow using her flashlight. The room was dark between it being nighttime and the storm and she didn't want to search and see if the house even had electricity or where the light switch was. Plus she was not sure if it was a good idea to use it during a storm this bad in a house this old.

She then dug in her back pack and changed into her pajamas and pulled out a drawing book and colored pencils. She sat up for hours drawing. Some were of people, some of animals, some of landscapes. Near midnight she just let her mind take over and did not think about what she was drawing. When she really looked at it she discovered a lion looking her in the face. She gasped; the lion's stare seemed to burn through her. She slammed the sketchbook shut and crawled into the bag.

Just before she dozed off she said, "God, I'm sorry I was such a pain today." She then drifted off to sleep. She realized this place was going to take some getting used to.

- - - - -

A week later.

- - - - -

Pen watched as her brother and father drove off. Her dad was going to drop him off at the airport so he could fly to college. She sighed, and turning from the window, tied her short, brown hair back with a bandana. Then she began to clean again. She was in the attic today. They had already cleaned up some rooms for them to sleep in and had cleaned the kitchen, dining room, and hall. She had come up into the attic to explore and had automatically started to clean.

The place was filled with shelves, trunks, odd packages, and other random things. There were pictures lined up against the wall and mirrors covered with dust. Hats were draped over coat racks. Dressers peaked out from behind dust cloths that had long gone to pieces. Furniture was piled with boxes and more boxes lay scattered over the floor. Over everything was a film of dust and dirt and grease. The windows were also coated with dirt. She cleaned one so she could see her brother leave, but all the others only let thin bits of light through.

She went to one shelf of a nearby bookshelf and looked at it. There were some books and boxes on it. She cleaned off the few books and discovered they were about magic. She raised her eyebrow about them but continued on. At the bottom of one box was a small package carefully wrapped in oilcloth. Amazingly, it had not disintegrated like the rest of the cloths left out. She unwrapped the package and saw a wooden box.

She picked up the wooden box. It was old and well worn. The surface was carved with leaves and flowers. Peaking from beneath and behind the petals and leaves of the exotic plants were animals. Most of the plants and creatures on the box she had never seen before. She took her rag, and using the water, cleaned off the surface of the carved box as best she could.

She stared, transfixed at the box and then opened it, her imagination going crazy at the thought of what might lie hidden in such a box. Treasure, secrets, notes, keys to unknown doors, a locket that couldn't be opened?

She opened it and her hoped dropped as she saw, surprise, more dust. She sighed regretfully and started to wipe up the dust. But before she could even get the rag in the box she suddenly dropped it when she heard a loud CLANG! She rushed to the ladder opening and yelled down, "Are you ok!" Her mom yelled up that she was, she had just dropped a pot.

'Must have been a cauldron to make such a loud noise!' Pen thought. She walked back to the window and stared out at the bright day. She opened the window a crack and a breeze blew in. The breeze ruffled her short plain hair and as she squinted as dust started to blow about. She looked down and saw dust start to stir in the box. She slammed her right hand down on the opening of the rectangular box so more dust wouldn't be blowing around. The dust swirled about and she felt her palm tingling a bit. The breeze died and she lifted her hand.

She looked curiously at the box and then at her tingling hand. Her hand was speckled with bits of gold, almost like bits of gold dust! She carefully lowered one finger of her slightly glowing hand into the ordinary looking dust and as soon as she touched it the world started to spin.

The world about her seemed to drift away and she wondered if she was hallucinating. The world of England was replaced with many different views, some overlapped, others disappeared only to be replaced by others, but she seemed to fly through them all. There were worlds of darkness, light colors, dark colors, water, land, air, fire, and others. She saw many colors that she had never seen before and could never quite explain what they looked like.

The only way she could explain it was, "If you added more colors to the primary colors, colors you had never seen before and the mix of all those colors together formed so many new colors, you could never try and trace them all back to the new primary colors." The worlds continued to shift, faster, faster, and faster still. She felt herself lost in the spin and kaleidoscope of colors, sounds, and feelings. She whirled through the ages of many worlds, lost and all alone.

She felt worlds that seemed young, middle aged, and old. She saw people, creatures, and plants in a variety of life activities. Landscapes that would make a painter weep and places that would make a traveler yearn passed by.

Suddenly something bright and shining sped through the whirl. It was brighter than anything she had ever seen. It was like a liquid gold mixed with all the brightest and best golden colors you could find and then ten times brighter. The cudgel of light knocked aside the intervening worlds and shot towards her. She tried to back away from the speeding light but she was floating in this whirl and could not move.

The spear of light stopped at her chest and she saw the end open into a paw! She stared at the paw and then looked up; into a lion's face. The face was alarmingly familiar, then it hit her, it was the face she had drawn a week ago! The face was like the arm and paw; gold, shining, and beautiful. It sent waves of fear and delight coursing through her. "Take my paw child, or you will be lost forever." The lion said in it's deep rumbling voice.

Hesitatingly, she took the paw and felt at once that he knew everything about her. This talking, bright animal knew her secrets; both her dark and good ones. It knew of her past and where she had gone and what she had done. She felt that she was laid bare before his gaze. And it was not the most pleasant of places to be.

--------------

Well, that's all for now! What do you think? Should I detail more or is it good? Please tell me what you think! I have some ideas for this but not many, so any ideas would be great to! Any critiques on my writing would be great. I wanted to get to the bow part so I sort of skimmed through the beginning, if you think there should be more detail then tell me please!

Kit ;)

REVIEW PELASE!

l

l

l

l

\/


	2. A Friend

The Weaver of Narnia

Chapter 2: A Friend

Disclaimer: see chap 1

Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.

--------------

"Who, who, who are you?" Penelope managed to croak out. The lion did not answer but simply stared at her. The fur of his paw rubbed smoothly against her glowing palm. It felt finer than any silk or smooth fabric ever made. Suddenly she seemed to shrink, or maybe the lion became bigger. She was not quite sure which.

But she was aware that suddenly the lion was below her and his paw squeezed her hand. If she did not know better, she would have said it was to reassure her against the fear growing inside her. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, 'It's ok! Teenage girls hallucinating about flying in the air through worlds and a talking, friendly lion is a perfectly normal thing. Yeah right. Oh just calm down!' She told herself, and to some extent, she did.

The lion tugged at her and she flew downwards. It was almost a cross between flying in the air and in the water. Or maybe it was very porous water, or maybe it was wet air. But then they broke into pure air and she gasped as she tumbled onto the ground.

The lion was in the middle of a dry ditch beside her. Unlike her though, he had landed on his four feet, she had landed on her butt. Penelope scrambled up and dusted the dirt off her already dirty jeans and t-shirt. Surrounding the hole on all sides and as far as the eye could reach were little pools of water and trees dotting an endless expanse of green grass. Amid the thick silence, her breathing sounded harsh and rapid; although she was not breathing hard.

"What is this place?" Her whisper seemed to crack across the still air and she clapped her hands over her mouth. The lion gave a low rumble that was his equivalent of a chuckle. Penelope turned and stared at the lion as if she had never seen one before. And in a sense, she never had, none like this one at any rate.

The lion turned his great shaggy head towards her. He spoke in a voice that was no less deep than the last time he spoke to her, but seemed to have grown melodic to the still air and wove into it so that his voice did not shatter that peaceful equilibrium of silence as hers had, "My child, this is a place where all worlds are connected to and grow from. Each pool is connected to one world and is the gateway to that world."

"How did I get here?" Her voice was still to loud.

"What was the last thing you touched child?"

Penelope thought for a second and then said, "Oh! The dust! It made my hand glow!" She held up her right hand that was still glowing slightly. "All of the sudden I was here! Or rather up there," she pointed upwards. "Excuse me, but who are you? And how can you talk? You won't eat me will you?" 'Man, I must be hallucinating.' She hated how her voice rang out and shattered the silence.

The lion said simply, "You are sane. I am who I am. I have many names, but perhaps the one you should use is Aslan." He then paced around her, staring outwards at the serene landscape, "I am in need of your help Penelope Weaver. Will you help me?" He stopped in front of her and bent down to look her in the face. It was only then that she realized he was taller than her; the top of her head came to about his shoulder.

She considered, and then said suspiciously, "With what?"

"Daughter of Eve, I asked you; will you help me?" Aslan asked again, no less loud or harsh, but his voice seemed not to mesh as well with the silence and so his voice cracked like a whip across to her. Penelope gazed at the lion, the ground, then the woods, and then at the lion again. He asked her one more time, ""Will you help me child?" But this time his voice was quiet, gentle, and calm. He leaned down and she breathed in the sweet scent that he gave off. Finally, she worked up the courage, and she thought that scent may have had something to do with that, and sighed and shrugged, "Alright, I'll help, although I don't know what I can do." Her voice was quiet and seemed to break the silence less.

The lion smiled at her and while you would not think that a full-toothed animal grin would be encouraging, much les kind and nice - it was. The sight of all those rows of predator's teeth did not make her nervous, in fact it helped her to square her shoulders and get enough courage to look at him. Then he opened his mouth, for a split second she thought he might eat her, but she immediately dismissed the idea. Then he breathed on her.

She would never forget how that breath seemed to make her feel. The warm air seemed to sink to her bones and she reveled in the feeling it brought. The warm and golden feeling sunk into her and she seemed to feel alive for the first time. She let out a pent up breath and grinned at the lion.

Then she looked at her glowing hand again, "Why did touching the dust in the box send me here? And where is here?"

"The dust is dust from this world. But there is no such thing as dust as you know it here. But dust here is from the pure mix of vapors of the world pools. A magician once made the air condense into this form of dust in the box. Since the mix of air up there is pure, every grain of dust has a part of each and every world in it. The dust first collected was pure and untainted. But the dust is not pure as it once was. It has mixed with your dust and is much less pure. If it had been pure you would have come out at the very top of this place, where the air is pure and the vapors of the worlds mingle together. As it is, you came into this land between where the vapors of worlds are pure and mixed together way far above us, and the air that is untainted by any world's vapors down here near the ground."

"Untainted?"

"Yes, the air you are breathing now, is untainted of any world, either of the pollution from your world or of the goodness from others. It is pure, innocent, and untainted."

"But why is my hand glowing?"

"Each world is special. When all the worlds are put together in such a form, they glow and thrum."

"That is why my hand is glowing and tingling? Because the glowing and thrumming dust is on my hand?"

"Yes."

"How can I get rid of it? It won't come off?" she rubbed her hands together to show him.

The lion let loose a rumbling laugh. "Yes, it will not come off that way. Let me help you." He leaned his head near the ground and opened his mouth. Two large shining drops of saliva fell to the dirt and formed a small patch of mud. "Rub your hands in the mud and together."

Penelope paused incisively but bent down and did as she was told. She dug her fingers into the mud and wriggled them around. Then she rubbed her hands together spreading the little bit of mud all over her hands. When she straightened up, she started to brush her hands off on her already dirty t-shirt and jeans, but Aslan stopped her, "Stop, clean your hands in my mane."

"But you'll get dirty! And you're so beautiful!" Penelope regretted the saying of the word, she sounded like a three-year-old. But the word was appropriate here, he did. He was radiant, glowing, strong, lithe, and powerful in a hidden sort of way. She did not want to take the word back, but she wished there was a better way to describe him.

Aslan stared at her so hard she thought he could penetrate into her mind and read her thoughts, "Thank you daughter of Eve." Penelope still protested but at his growl did so. When she pulled her hands away, both of them were glowing now. But it wasn't the splotchy glow like before; now both of her hands were glowing, front and back. She stared at her hands and then looked up into the warm, golden eyes of Aslan.

"Um, excuse me, but that didn't make the glow go away." The Lion get forth a soft growl that sounded like his version of a laugh, "Of course not daughter! You will have need of those glowing hands before the end!" Suddenly he bounded out of the hole. She realized that his mane was not at all in the least bit dirty by her rubbing her dirty hands off in his mane. But her hands looked cleaner than if she had been washing them all day.

The teenager stared after the animal for a second before sighing and mumbling under her breath about loony people following talking animals while climbing out after him. She failed to see Aslan turn and give her what almost appeared to be a wry look.

Once she was out she walked to where he stood by a tree near the hole they had come out of. She could see farther now; not that there was much of a difference. The pools of water were still broken occasionally by an empty hole, some deeper than others. The trees lay interspersed between the pools of water. The trees looked extremely well kept and trimmed. The leaves kissed at parts, but no more than that, the branches did not touch at all or even come close. She wondered if there was some gardener wandering around trimming the trees or if the trees grew that way.

"Daughter of Eve, look here." He tapped the tree with his paw. Penelope looked at the tree. She tried to figure out what the tree was, but her knowledge of trees was severely limited and she was not sure what it was at all. But she was sure she had never seen one like it before.

"This tree is attached to that empty pool we just came out of. Look at the top of the tree child, see how there are more leaves on this tree than the trees with pools around us? When a world dies, the worlds' tree absorbs the water in the pool and the leaves of the tree grow bigger, brighter, and more abundant than the other ones."

"Almost like the dust, where it becomes bright and thrumming?"

The lion looked at her intently, "Yes child, exactly like that."

"I can't hear the thrumming, is it because we're to far down? Or do you have to touch the tree to hear it?" Penelope leaned forward and touched the trunk. Suddenly, overlaid on top of her view of the woods was a view of a different place.

It looked to be inside a castle and many Lords and Ladies were dining at the table. They were drinking and eating merrily. The laughter and happiness in the party of people was evident. She could not hear or touch them, but she could see their richly, adorned ghostly appearances. She gasped and jerked backwards.

She was back in the still woods and the bright golden glow that was the lion was right beside her still. She gulped in air and turned to Aslan, "What was that!" She gasped, her hand clenched at air to support her. As soon as her roving hand neared the tree and she veered away from it. Suddenly the lion was beneath her arm and she leaned on him.

"The glow in your hands allows you to pass between the worlds, not only into and from the pools but also to and from the tree worlds." The lion looked at her almost worriedly, "Now it is time for you to go back to your own world. You are not quite ready to help me yet. But you will be, you will be."

Suddenly he turned and she was engulfed in those large gold eyes of his, just as her arms were in his thick mane. Next thing she knew she was on her hands and knees on the attic floor. A cloud of dust engulfed her and she realized she must have set off a bunch when she fell to the dusty floor. The dust cleared and she was the box of dust in front of her. It was closed and lay upright on the floor, unharmed.

The chaotic thoughts roiling in her mind were suddenly interrupted by her mom's anxious voice. "Penny? You alright?" but Penelope could not answer the worried call. She was staring at what looked like a large lion peeking out from behind a flower with large petals. He looked strongly like Aslan.

Next thing she heard pounding feet on the attic ladder steps and a head popped up into the opening. A british accent cut through the rest of her roiling mind, " 'ello?"

She tore her eyes from the box and turned to look at a boy she had never seen before with shaggy dark brown hair. He shook his head and the hair flew out of his purple eyes. The two stared at each other, both at a lost of what to say. Abruptly the boy leaped into the attic and helped her to her feet. "You all right miss? You're not hurt are you?" he asked. Penelope noticed that he was a native here right away, the way he spoke gave it away. And she was sure hers would as well as soon as she spoke, and it did.

"I'm fine-" Penelope started to say, but she broke off and swooped the box up into her arms, "I am perfectly well thank you, now could you please-" Penelope started to ask him to go back from wherever it was that he had come from, but stopped when she saw something moving on the box out of the corner of her eye. The lion was growling and roaring at her.

"-tell me your name." Penelope recovered, and squashed the box to her chest as to not look at the angry face again.

The boy grinned and swept off his gray cap. "I'm Derek! I live just down the road aways. I came ta ask ya if you needed any help cleanin' or movin' things here. I know this place has been lyin' empty for years collecting dust." He looked around and grinned, "Apparently, I was right."

Penelope looked the boy over; he seemed to be about her age, 16. Besides the gray cap he wore a plain, heavy-duty but worn cream-colored shirt and brown pants. His brown shoes were obviously well worn in. But she really liked his grin; it was full of life and happiness. He was constantly shaking his head to get the hair out of his eyes. Although the cap kept back most of his shaggy, dark brown hair, locks kept falling into his strange eyes.

He grinned when he realized she was gazing at his eyes, "Me mum says I have the only purple eyes in the world, tho' I doubt it." he grinned again. Penelope found herself speaking without thinking about it first, "I'm an artist, and I haven't seen many eyes like that. They're very interesting. By the way, my name is Penelope."

"Hi and thanks! Don't mind if I call you Pen do ya?" Before she could answer, Derek said, "Great! Oh! Your mum will be wonderin' if you're dead or not. We better be gettin' down there." She held out her hand to him and he gripped it and shook it firmly, if a bit too vigorously. But everything about him seemed to be enthusiastic. He seemed like the type of person that would fall down, get up and laugh about it.

"Um, ok." And the two headed down. As Penelope waited at the top for Derek to get low enough down the ladder that she could start down she looked at the box. She saw Aslan smile in Derek's direction. When she glanced back at the box from Derek, she could not see the lion anywhere.

'Was that all a big dream? Or did that really happen?'

"Come on Pen!" Derek called up. She looked down and saw he was at the bottom of the stairs.

'Well, here goes nothing.' And she started down the ladder one arm wrapped protectively around the wooden box.

--------------

Well, that's the end of chapter 2! The chapter is a bit long, sorry, but I wanted to fit a lot in here. If you think any of this is weird please tell me. I am a bit worried that Aslan may be OOC, any thoughts? What do you think of Derek? All books of Narnia have a daughter of Eve and a Son of Adam so I wasn't about to change that! But review and tell me what you think! Any thoughts would be great!

I have absolutely no idea where to go now, so you may end up waiting a bit before you get chap 3, whatever it is. Any ideas would be great! You can either review and tell me or e-mail me. I've got some basic ideas but nothing too solid, so... yeh. We'll find out where this goes together. Also any ideas you have for plots or twists and turns you think should be thrown in or characters liked and not liked, tell me! You can either tell me in a review or in a e-mail: I only have the ending somewhat-fuzzily figured out, and other than that I don't know. I don't know if old friends will be popping up or new ones instead or both or what! But any thoughts would be great! Thanks!

I am trying to figure out the right amount of descriptions to put in and yet not babble on. I think I may be going too fast. Tell me if you think I am going fast or slow or too much or too little descriptions please! Any help you can offer on my writing skills is greatly appreciated that is mainly why I am on I am certainly NOT going to be a writer, there are many other faboulous writers out there and I am not one!

OH! Explaining the dust a bit more: Uncle Andrew had to get the dust into usable forms that were reliable to get to the Wood between the Worlds. I'm viewing the rings as the yellow were the mixed air from above the world between – because the yellow got you into the world between. But the green is the untainted air that wants to mix, and so it pulls people into the worlds themselves. But Pen doesn't have the rings, so when she touched dust that was both pure and mixed, that's how she got lost inbetween worlds and Aslan had to come rescue her. That doesn't quite make sense, but then again, there are always mysteries of life we don't quite understand! (lol yes I'm a slacker...)

--------------  
Thanks/Responses to Reviews:

kylie606- Thanks! Thanks for your thoughts on the descriptions. I agree, I wish there was more. I hope the plot is interesting too! ;) I really haven't thought much on future chapters; I have an end goal, after and before that, who knows! >shrugs thanks for the well-written comment, it really helps.

I think you should do resident of Narnia during the Golden Age (The High Kings and Queens time - Peter and the rest) that would be a cool story! I would definitely read and review it! But then again, I am partial to those stories!

Kitty- Thanks! Thanks for the compliment. It really helps since I don't believe I am. When I am able to get goose bumps to rise on someone's arm then I will be a good writer. I was really feeling down today and that really cheered me up!

SilverFoam – Thanks for the tip! I went through and fixed that, hope I caught everything! Thanks for the compliment!

lilmissmcgarity – hmmm.. interesting thoughts... you actually reminded of this other plot bunny I had for Narnia that I may try to incorporate into this.

Techy El Nerd – thanks for noticing that! I must've missed that... Right now, it's too hard to try and go back and change things I've based a bit too much on the house, someday I may go back and revamp it though.

Holly – I'm sorry but she won't enter the world between by the pools. The whole situation with Pen is different than all the others. THE point is that Aslan needs help, but the kids can't come the same way the others did, by the rings, or the wardrobe, or by Aslan himself – but something different. So, we'll see where it goes.

Niffum – thanks! I'm glad it sounds good!

Forge – Wow... thank you so much for that compliment! I went through and change it so it probably doesn't seem quite the same, but thank you so much!

Hope you liked the story, again, (you must have if your reading this).

Kit ;)

REVIEW PELASE!

l

l

l

l

\/ 


	3. The Beginning of the Adventures

The Weaver of Narnia

Chapter 3: The Beginning of the Adventures

Disclaimer: see chap 1

Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.

--------------

A week later, the house was definitely cleaner and Pen had gained a new friend. Derek was a cheerful and knowledge guy. He was always happy and could get along with anyone. He got along well with both her parents and with the other kids their age in the small village and with his younger siblings. Pen had been to his house and met his family. His parents had died in a car crash when he was young and so he was raised by his grandma. He was great with his four younger siblings; two younger brothers split by twin girls. Derek also told her of his older sister and brother who were away. His sister was married and lived in the nearest town 30 miles away and his brother was working in a slightly larger city 50 miles away.

His grandparents on his father's side lived in his father's hometown – the same town his older sister lived in. His grandpa on his mother's side had died of a heart attack when his mother was only 6. His grandma had raised all of her daughter's 6 children herself. At this point she had been widowed for more than twice the amount of time she had been married.

Penelope liked Derek's grandma. She was kind, old, and wrinkly. But she also knew fabulous tales to tell. Sometimes at night; Penelope, Derek, and his younger siblings would crowd around his grandma by the fire and listen to the many tales she knew. She had gotten a job as an art teacher at the nearby school to feed her grandchildren, plus she also was there with her grandchildren all the time.

Because of her teaching she knew history well. She also knew many fairy tales and stories from her own reading. But she also knew about a land called Narnia. Derek's great-great-grandmother was the daughter of a woman called Mrs. Macerdy who had been a sort of maid to Professor Diggory, who used to own Pen's house. She had heard wondrous tales from him, all dealing with a land called Narnia. The tales had passed on through the generations to Derek's family today.

Penelope had taken to sitting with her drawing notebook and a pencil while Derek's grandmother told them tales at night. She would sit by the fire and draw while listening to the descriptions of Narnia. She drew maps of the lands, she drew the many people and creatures in the stories, she drew the scenery, and mostly, she drew Aslan.

As soon as she had heard of Aslan she had taken the old lady aside and questioned her frantically on the lion. She did not learn much, except that he was the son of the Emperor across the sea and was very old and wise. Her head fell dejectedly at this news. The grandmother tried to comfort the girl but she could do nothing. Penelope stayed up late that night pouring over the box from the attic that had gained a spot of honor on her bookshelf.

But every night Penelope would go to bed and sit there and draw. Sometimes she drew Aslan, other times the trees and pools of that odd forest and she drew all aspects of the box. She then went through and made some enlarged drawings of certain plants of animals that fascinated her.

She also would draw pictures of combinations of the people from the stories and wild life from the box. But it was when she was very tired and her hand would move slowly from tiredness and her other hand around the box loosened, that her best pictures came out. Her right hand would start to tingle and she would peer through a sleepy haze at the picture she had no recollection of drawing and stare stupidly at it.

Those pictures always seemed to leap off the page with vibrancy and life despite the lack of color. She was starting to use color pencil and the few she had colored looked real until you looked at them long enough to spot the stillness and pencil strokes.

Grandma Macerdy (as Derek's grandmother insisted she call her) always helped Penelope with her drawings. Penepolpe started to rapidly improve becuase of her constant drawing and with Grandma Macerdy's constant help, she became even better.

But sometimes she would find herself talking to the box late at night. A week after her first visit to that odd world she thought she saw Aslan stalking through some large bushes on the box, but when she turned her head to get a closer look, he was gone. She let loose a large sigh, "I wish I knew what was going on." And with that she turned off her light and went to bed.

----

Three weeks later from Penelope's arrival at the Mansion (as they we're calling her home), Derek and her were back in the attic. Due to cleaning the rest of the house, the attic had been put off until last. They were trying to organize the piles of things into some orderly fashion; it wasn't working to well.

Finally, Pen collapsed into a chair and started coughing as the great cloud of dust she had set free clogged her nostrils. Derek waved the cloud away with a book old book he was holding. "Thanks," she gasped and coughed some more. Then she got a good look at the book he was holding, "Hey, wasn't that over there?" She pointed to the shelf she had found her small wooden box on.

"Yeah, I was thinking of putting it with the other books over there," he started to point out which pile of books, but Pen ignored him, taking the book out of his hands.

"Sorry, thanks," she said quickly, an idea had just occurred to her. She had found this book with the box; maybe there was something about the box transporting her in that book!

She flipped carefully through the yellowed pages, but there was nothing. Finally she stopped on the only likely page, how to turn differing substances into 'Portal Rings' as the book called them. Apparently it was something of a recipe to form dust, dirt, mud, twigs, and other odd objects into rings that would transport the wearer to and from some different place. That was the only mention of dust and going places. She sighed, no good there.

"Hey, what do you want that for?" Derek was trying to read the page upside down, but she quickly shut it before he could finish.

She started to tell him "Nothing," but before she could, she remembered the lion's nod at Derek and made a quick turnaround after a second's thought. "Derek, if I tell you something, can you keep it a secret?"

----

A half hour later, both of them were shut up in the attic once again. They had opened a few windows to let in light and air to the stuffy room and were sitting on the floor at the base of the bookshelf. Derek was turning the box carefully over in his hands, studying the carvings. Penelope was pouring over the books and other objects in the box that she had originally found the wooden box in trying to figure out the wooden box's history or anything else about it. Penelope gave a frustrated sigh and pushed the box of stuff away from her, "Nothing!" she threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Have you tried to touch the dust and go back?" Derek asked her curiously.

"Yeah, I went all tingly and my hands glowed gold away, but nothing else happened." Pen looked at her hands, in the dim light she couldn't even see the faint glimmer that she could see in bright light.

Derek flipped opened the box and started to lower his head to the dust to get a closer look, "Nothing will work, I've tried it before." Penelope reached for him, worried that he might spill the box of dust. She had grabbed onto his arm when a breeze from the open window stirred the dust and blew it into Derek's eyes, immediately a golden flash went off and they were speeding downwards and slowly a forest grew into view. The forest quickly grew larger and they fell spread-eagled onto the dirt of the empty pool, Derek facing upwards on top of Penelope who was lying face-downwards.

"gefkt ofhg meftef!" Pen mumbled loudly.

"What was that?" a dazzled Derek asked, then he realized that he was on top of her and he quickly scrambled up. Penelope levered herself up and spit out dirt. She cut off the curse that she started to say and quickly got up and brushed herself off to hide the quiet moment. Derek smiled at her attempt to cut out the bad part of her growing up in the USA had ingrained and turned to look at the woods again.

When Penelope looked up he was walking amid the trees touching trunks and walking slowly and aimlessly. "Hey! Come back!" Penelope's loud voice echoed through the woods and he turned sharply at the loud crack of noise her voice made in the stillness. He came back and sat at the edge of the ditch with her and they tried to decide what to do now. "'s nice here…" Penelope slurred and slid into the ditch, curling into a sleeping ball.

Derek looked down amused at her but his normal retort was cut off with a yawn and he leaned back on to the grass and fell asleep. Suddenly he let out a yelp and sat upright, Penelope just cracked an eye open. "What 'z it?" she asked sleepily.

"It's the box," Derek sat looking at the box stupidly for a second before her fell back onto the grass the box cradled in his arms. Penelope was already asleep again.

Although time passed, it seemed not to, it was always that comfortable part of the day, neither to hot nor to cold. The light was just right and the trees to thick to let in any direct sunlight.

Next then Penelope knew she woke up to a rough tongue licking her check. She sat up and rubbed her face, shoving the animal away form her. "Geff ouff me." She mumbled. Then her eyes cleared as something breathed on her and she gasped as she saw Aslan's radiant face leaning over her. "Aslan!" she yelped. Aslan licked her one more time and Penelope was surprised to find herself hugging him in an exuberance of childish joy.

The Aslan leaned back and Penelope clambered upright. Aslan spoke to her in his deep rumbling voice and said, "Now child, wake your friend, you are now ready to help me as you have promised." Penelope scrambled out of the hole and shook Derek, his tousled head slowly rose and he parted his unruly hair to look out.

His purple eyes were half closed in sleepiness but he wouldn't wake up at all as Penelope babbled at him. Then she started to shake him and he opened his eyes. "Derek! Derek! Derek wake up! Aslan is here! You remember? The lion I told you about?" Derek swiveled his head until he caught sight of Aslan. Penelope watched as the purple and brown eyes locked and held.

Penelope watched in wonderment as the sleepiness flew from Derek's eyes and they seemed to shine with an inner light. She squinted at his eyes, 'They really are shining!' She shook her head and thought, 'Man, this light is bright here!'

Slowly, without his eyes ever leaving Aslan, Derek stood up and bowed to him, "I have known you sir. Of that much I am certain."

The lion let forth a small rumbling and said, "Yes, Son of Adam, you have know me most of your life." Aslan walked towards him and Derek's seemed to be fine. But Pen noticed his hands clenching into fists and his jaw clenching shut tightly. Aslan opened his mouth and Derek's hands clenched in fists so tightly his knuckles turned white but he did not step backwards or cringe. Aslan breathed and Penelope watched, Derek relaxed and smiled. Then Derek ran towards the lion and buried himself in the deep mane of fur hugging him.

"Now, Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve, follow me and I will show you where you must go." Aslan walked in his floating smooth gait towards the tree Penelope had first touched. "Daughter, give me your hands." Penelope held out her hands, the glow had died away into the skin but when she held her hands at funny angles she could see the glitter still.

"Son, I believe you carry a pocket knife." It was a statement, not a question. And indeed Derek did, he used it for the opening of packages and cutting tape to bind packages, it was extremely useful but now Derek grew nervous. He drew it out and Aslan instructed him to open up the small blade. Then he told him to prick the palm of both of Penelope's hands and his paws.

Derek of course protested, but did as he was told. When a small pearl of blood beaded the valley of the four palms, Penelope looked down. Sweat fell in trickles down her back as she gazed at the blood on her hands and the small bit of blood in Aslan's fur. Then Aslan lifted his paws and told her to put her hands on his.

Penelope did so, and that was when her hands underwent a major change. Before they had changed, but now they fully evolved. The skin turned from a gold shimmer to a full-out glow. She had several cuts on her hands from working and she noticed they were all gone as well as a wart scar she got when she was younger on her middle finger. But the two small pricks where Derek had broken her skin were still there.

The blood on both of their palms mingled and Penelope felt some sort of magic mingle with her blood and veins. She felt pure light rush through her. In it's wake, it left her feeling somber but extremely happy and clear headed. She stared at Aslan with eyes that seemed to see more of the history and reasons why things worked, rather than the outward appearance.

She touched the fur on Aslan's mane and through her fingers felt the pulse of light she had felt beat within him and now inside herself.

"Son of Adam come here. I believe the dust touched you as well?"

"Well, yes sir. It was in my eyes," Derek pointed to his eyes, "But I think it's all gone now." He shrugged.

Aslan stepped to Derek and licked his eyes. Derek gave a weak, "Hey!" and smiled as he started to rub his now wet eyes, but Aslan stopped him.

"Wait," His deep rumbling voice commanded. So Derek waited. He squirmed and itched and yearned to rub his eyes but he didn't.

Finally Aslan breathed on him again and then leaning in, rubbed Derek's face with his mane. Derek laughed at the feel of the fur tickling him and when Aslan stepped away he was still smiling. And his eyes shone. There were many shadows here with all the trees about them and Penelope realized that his eyes shone in the shadows. So his eyes weren't just reflecting light, or at least, not this world's light.

"Now you are ready. Come children, you are needed." Aslan nodded at the tree and Penelope seemed to know what to do. She took both of Derek's hands and pressed them against the tree underneath her own hands and then she closed her eyes and concentrated, suddenly they seemed to fall trough the trunk and down through a whirling storm of colors.

The colors picked them up and whirled them about. Derek shouted to Penelope over the loud wind, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know I can see where I am going!" Derek's eyes narrowed.

Then they heard Aslan say, "Remember, you will need each other, trust and love in one another."

Suddenly Derek pressed his forehead against Penelope's and said so quietly that she couldn't hear it but heard it in her head as a small quiet voice that drowned out all the other noises in her head nonetheless said, "Let me be your eyes." And then they landed.

They were upright leaning against each other with their hands gripped together and their foreheads touching. For a second Penelope thought it had not worked and they were back in the woods and then she heard a voice behind her, "And pray tell, who in the name of the Great Lion himself, are you?"

--------------

There you have it! Hope you're enjoying it so far! I'm working on a story of The Golden Age as I said and so I think when she meets people in this, it will incorporate with my story as well. Not sure yet! We'll see!

Please keep reading and review!

Kit

REVIEW PELASE!

l

l

l

l

\/


End file.
